Education Reform

Katherine Pang

Ava Tompkins

Ali Searle

“An act to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice so that no child is left behind.” (NCLB)

Introduction & History 1965- Elementary and Secondary Education

Act 1983- “A nation at Risk: The Imperative for

Education Reform” 1989- America 2000- Bush Sr. wanted a

national standard in education to test 4th, 8th, and 12th graders for progress

Congress never passed it

President Bill Clinton proposed federal funding for individual state reform programs

"No Child Left Behind - Report Cards, Education Statistics, Graphs - Wrightslaw." Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy. 12 Oct. 2008. Web. 30 Oct.

2009. <http://www.wrightslaw.com/nclb/stats.htm>.

Introduction & History

• 2001- No Child Left Behind Act

•Goal: Every Student must be proficient in math and reading by 2014

•Purpose: to verify that schools are sufficiently teaching students

• Established Conditions in Aid

Introduction & History• 2001- No Child Left Behind Act (cont’d)

2nd year- “In need of Improvement” 3rd year- school has free tutoring4th year- “Corrective Action” new teachers, new curriculum5th year- reorganizing the school with different people running it

NCLB: Supporting Viewpoints

Forces teachers to focus more on the poor/minority students

More disciplined teachers Reading and math are very important Students are more willing to learn when they

are being prepared for tests

Supporting Statistics

32% of fourth-graders can read proficiently More children are attending college 40% of white fourth-graders read at or above

the proficient level

Opposing Viewpoints

Reading and writing, teachers don’t teach as much of other subjects

Emphasis on testing doesn’t help real world experiences

It doesn’t address the needs of all students Funds from government could be better used

for something else

Opposing Viewpoints (cont’d)

The “Achievement Gap” Underfunded Penalties are too harsh Only 1/3 of students are proficient in math

and reading Test scores alone do not reflect students’

progress

http://www.berkeleydaily.org/photos/03-05-09/20081204%20NCLB%20Left%20Behind.jpg

Changes in Progress

Relaxing the requirements on students with disabilities

The government wants to add a part that involves students in failing schools to attend private schools

Less penalties for failing schools Devising tests on other subjects (besides

math and reading)

Barriers to Reform

Agreements with teacher unions All schools are at different levels Merit versus Need

Political Parties

Republicans want either no federal aid or very little No interference with states control of schools Conservatives want no federal aid Bush wanted a devolution in education Support school vouchers, want to give parents freedom to

choose what schools their children attend Contract with America Act: reduce funding in education

Democrats want more federal aid National framework for schools

http://www.gallup.com/poll/122375/americans-doubt-effectiveness-no-child-left-behind.aspx

President Obama’s Goals

Improve Kindergarten to 12th schooling Easier access to higher education Prepare kids for kindergarten

Opposing Interest Groups

The National Education Association: wants to reform NCLB

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: disabled kids can’t reach goals imposed by the government to receive funding

No child Left: wants to abolish the law completely

Supporting Interest Groups

The American Association of University Women: supports the NCLB in closing the achievement gap and ensuring strong academic principles

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Vaf-nXjch_o/R7ZVdTD-cfI/AAAAAAAAAJw/vcb-gbBReYk/s400/BushNoChildLeftBehindCartoon.gif

Recent Developments

Obama’s education reform(Race to The Top) 4.35 billion dollars available Requirements:

National standardsBasing teacher pay on student performance Hiring and firing teachers regardless of tenureNo limits on number of charter schools

Best performing schools win the money Arne Duncan (supreme power in education)

Video

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8169893

Works Cited "No Child Left Behind." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues &

Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 7 Dec. 2007. Web. 2 Oct. 2009. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i1200660>.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_child_left_behind_act The No Child Left Behind Act Protects the Right of All Students to Receive a

Quality Education. Rod Paige.Opposing Viewpoints: Students' Rights. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005.

"| Education." Organizing for America | BarackObama.com. Web. 30 Oct. 2009.

<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/>. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=8167411&page=1&page=1 "No Child Left Behind - Report Cards, Education Statistics, Graphs - Wrightslaw."

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy. 12 Oct. 2008. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.wrightslaw.com/nclb/stats.htm>.

"AAUW - Position on No Child Left Behind." AAUW - Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/nclb.cfm>.

Works Cited No Child Left - Committed to Repeal of NCLB/Helter-Skelter. Web. 30 Oct. 2009.

<http://nochildleft.com/>. "NEA - No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) / ESEA." NEA - NEA Home. Web. 30 Oct.

2009. <http://www.nea.org/home/NoChildLeftBehindAct.html>. "NCLB and Children with Disabilities." National Dissemination Center for Children

with Disabilities. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.nichcy.org/Laws/NCLB/Pages/ChildrenWithDisabilities.aspx>.